(WSVN) — SURFSIDE, Fla. — Surfside Police are investigating after a possible act of vandalism involving a roped-off stretch of beach used by Orthodox Jews for religious purposes rocked the tight-knit community.
According to investigators, someone cut down an eruv, a piece of string bordering an area that allows observant Jews to carry items and push strollers on the Sabbath along the beach that runs nearly nine blocks from Surfside to Miami Beach, sometime over the weekend. “It’s the beginning stages of the investigation. We have to first determine what we have in place,” said Surfside Police Detective Marian Cruz. “Then we’ll try to determine a motive, see if surrounding agencies have any similar incidents.”
Area residents and visitors who noticed the cut rope Monday morning expressed their concern about the incident. “It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or not, doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish or not, I mean, there should be respect,” said resident Fred Wax.
“People are noticing it. They’ve asked me,” said visitor John Rasper, who said he was unaware of the eruv.
